Ciorbă de burtă (Romanian tripe soup)

Ingredients

• 1 kg tripe cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium carrot (100 g)
• 1 medium parsley root (80 g)
• 1 small celeriac (200 g)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2500 ml water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 30 ml vinegar
• 2 Knorr beef bouillon cubes
• 400 g sour cream with 20% fat
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 garlic cloves (20 g)
• 1 chili pepper (15 g)

Preparation

1. Take the sour cream out of the fridge 15 minutes ahead. Cut the tripe into shorter strips, and grate the carrot, parsley root and celeriac. 2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pot and sauté the vegetables for 8 minutes, until softened. 3. Add the tripe, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and 2500 ml of water to the pot. Simmer over medium heat for 60 minutes, until the strips are tender. 4. Add 30 ml of vinegar and the 2 beef bouillon cubes. Stir and simmer for another 3 minutes, until the cubes dissolve. 5. Mix the egg yolks with the sour cream. Gradually stir in a few spoonfuls of hot broth, then pour the mixture into the pot and cook over low heat for 3 minutes without letting it boil. 6. Add the crushed garlic and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and serve with a chili pepper.